Crude images came easily at Castle Avenue. One was two herds of water buffalo butting heads in a swamp. Impossible footing, a muddy ball and a strong cross wind to hinder even the kicking of noted experts like Clontarf outhalf Richie Murphy combined to make it a forgettable display, if lucrative for the homesters.
Clontarf tried to be the more inventive, and on a number of occasions raised their game above the pick and mullock efforts of a poor Lansdowne, and that earned them three tries and a territorial domination which never looked like diminishing.
The pack, led by captain Bobby Baggot and diligently supported by Donal Sheehan, Shane McEntee and Ben Gissing, set the trend for Clontarf, who were rarely less than controlled both in the tight and when they sprayed it wide and reved up their pace men.
Kevin Nowlan hitting the line from full back caused Lansdowne all sorts of embarrassment, and when Ollie Winchester's fuse was lit on the left wing he even made Gordon D'Arcy looked flat-footed for his try just after the break.
Most of the first half appeared to be a contest between duelling outhalfs, Murphy and Lansdowne's David Quigley, who had the game tied at 6-6 in the first quarter. Dave O'Brien then enlivened the contest with a 60metre charge from his own 22. The breakdown came to Clontarf and Nowlan stepped up and put French hooker Thierry Foucher over in the left corner.
From there Lansdowne appeared to be heading for their third successive league defeat. Winchester then illustrated how vulnerable the visitors were out wide and glided through the left channel for his side's second try two minutes after the break.
Aidan McCullen and Graham Quinn came into the Lansdowne pack and managed to lift the tempo, but the body language of the team said more.
Clontarf made the conditions their companion while Lansdowne were oppressed by them, and when prop Adrian Clarke emerged steaming and ghoulish from a ruck for the third Clontarf try, the contest died. Murphy added his third penalty for 26-6 and Clontarf's third win from six league outings. On the craggy face of Alex Wylie there was almost the beginnings of a smile.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 13 mins: D Quigley pen 0-3; 15: R Murphy pen 3-3; 19: Quigley pen 36; 23: Murphy pen 6-6; 38: T Foucher try 11-6. Halftime. 42: O Winchester try 16-6; 54: A Clarke try, Murphy con 23-6; 59: Murphy pen 26-6.
CLONTARF: K Nowlan; A Reddan, D Rossi, D O'Brian, O Winchester; R Murphy, R O'Reilly; T Kearns, T Foucher, A Clarke, D Sheehan, B Gissing, D Quinn, B Baggot, S McEntee. Replacements: P McQuillan for Clarke (62 mins), D Moore for McEntee (66 mins), J Downey for Rossi (74 mins).
LANSDOWNE: G D'Arcy; L O'Brien, P Barry, M Woods, R Dolan; D Quigley, D O'Mahony; R Corrigan, R Fallon, E Bohan, S O'Connor, B Cusack, S Rooney, C McEntee, L Toland. Replacements: A McCullen for Rooney, G Quinn for O'Connor (both 48 mins), A McKeen for Bohan (71 mins).
Referee: S Young (Aus).
